House minority leader says Republicans can’t rely on Democrats to pass funding bill, raising fears of longer shutdown

By Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday that Democrats won’t help Republicans pass a funding bill to reopen the government if they attempt to fast-track the measure Monday, according to two sources familiar with a call between the leaders.

Jeffries’ move is a major gamble since he would be rebelling against a deal cut by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Donald Trump to approve funding for much of the federal government through the end of September. The deal only funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow for long-term negotiations on federal immigration enforcement.

The Senate voted to pass the measure just hours before a Friday deadline to fund the government, but the House is not expected to return to Washington until Monday to vote on final approval. With the funding deadline passed, Washington entered a partial government shutdown.

Many Democrats say DHS shouldn’t receive the two weeks of funding — and Jeffries appears to be siding with them, raising the possibility that the shutdown could extend past Monday.

Republican and Democratic leaders believed the final measure would reach Trump’s desk early enough next week to avoid any substantial pain for federal workers.

Johnson had hoped to pass the bill under a process known as “suspending the rules,” meaning two-thirds of the narrowly divided House would need to approve it with the backing of dozens of Democrats.

But Jeffries said Democrats would not assist in that endeavor. That leaves Johnson with the only option of advancing the plan with Republicans alone. The House would first need to approve a rule, allowing the chamber to approve the bill by a simple majority.

But passage is not guaranteed since a number of conservative hardliners are angry about various provisions in the bill.

House Democrats will hold a caucus call at 5 p.m. ET Sunday. Punchbowl News first reported on the Sunday call.

The deal reached Friday came after Trump and GOP leaders quickly agreed to Democrats’ demand to punt on DHS funding amid intense public backlash from the two killings of US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. The White House has sought to avoid a shutdown after Democrats showed firm resolve last fall, refusing to reopen the government for 43 days over expiring enhanced Obamacare tax credits for millions of Americans.

Democrats, meanwhile, agreed to fund the department for two weeks, rather than shut it down altogether, as they seek to negotiate with Republicans on reforms at a time when even GOP senators are calling for changes.

Only certain government agencies are shuttering since others have already been fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year. Several agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Energy, Justice and Commerce, will remain open.

Tens of millions of people won’t be in danger of losing their food assistance benefits this time. Still, even a partial government shutdown can cause a lot of pain if it is prolonged. Travelers could face delays at airports; many federal workers could miss paychecks; and people may not be able to obtain certain federal loans to buy homes or operate small businesses.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Tami Luhby contributed to this report.

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